"It
was Joey who took up the most room in the family of five. She was autistic and
did not speak. She had apraxia, a central nervous system disorder that impaired
her movement. She sometimes struggled with balance, and would often trip and
fall. But she was affectionate, sweet, and funny, and communicated in her own
way."

"A new genetic test
may lead to a more accurate diagnosis for individuals with autism spectrum
disorder by looking at key genetic markers.

"Geneticists
say that a more accurate diagnosis leads to better treatment and support
because families know more about what they're dealing with. The new test is a
product of a Utah company called Lineagan."

"'Autism
at its base is highly genetic in nature,' he said. 'Some studies have estimated
that up to 70 to 80 percent of autism is genetic in nature. That doesn't mean
there's not environmental component."'

I
guess these people didn't heard about study of 400 twins in 2011
that showed genetics was only about 37 percent of the risk factor. No
matter, it's more people making a living off of the autism disaster.

"The School
Committee plans to vote Monday on a $24.6 million budget that would increase
school spending by more than 2.5 percent for the first time since fiscal 2006.
Since then, annual changes in the school budget have ranged from a decrease of
1.7 percent to an increase of 2.2 percent, said School Committee chairman
Andrew Mackie. The proposed budget for fiscal 2014, which begins July 1, would
raise spending by 6.8 percent, he said. About $96,000 would be used to start a
program at the elementary level for students with autism. Over the long term,
he expects the program will save Norton money on out-of-district placements
while allowing students to stay close to home. Mackie said other increases are
necessary to protect the district from federal budget cuts that will occur if
Congress does not act by March 1. He hopes the town will receive an increase in
state education funding, he said."

"As the mother of
an autistic son, I've grappled with whether it's morally or medically right to
talk about 'curing' autism."

Most of us would
challenge everything about this story, from the claim that autism is a
"genetic disorder" to the speculation that we don't need a cure. Why
would anyone not want this condition cured? Why should we be so willing to
surrender to autism? I posted 13 comments to make sure more views were being heard.

Comments

When it comes to autism, I feel the voice of environmentalists gets drowned out by those who argue that autism is genetic. We need to push back on this. Even the reporting is becoming more biased toward genetics. The Fox13 Salt lake, story is an example.

To those who contend autism is genetic, this is what EPA says about autism:

"To date, no single risk factor sufficient to cause ASD has been identified; rather each case is likely to be caused by the combination of multiple genetic and environmental risk factors.140-142 Several ASD research findings and hypotheses may imply an important role for environmental contaminants. First, there has been a sharp upward trend in reported prevalence that cannot be fully explained by factors such as younger ages at diagnosis, migration patterns, changes in diagnostic criteria, inclusion of milder cases, or increased parental age.8,9,143-146 Also, the neurological signaling systems that are impaired in children with ASDs can be affected by certain environmental chemicals. For example, several pesticides are known to interfere with acetylcholine (Ach) and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurotransmission, chemical messenger systems that have been altered in certain subsets of autistic individuals.147 Some studies have reported associations between certain pharmaceuticals taken by pregnant women and increased incidence of autism, which may suggest that there are biological pathways by which other chemical exposures during pregnancy could increase the risk of autism."

Source: "America’s Children and the Environment"
Third Edition
January 25, 2013

About making a living from autism, I would love to know how they justify charging $5,000. Does the test require a team of scientists working for a week? Do they have to crush diamonds? What could cost that much?